Through the Course of a Year
by rough-water
Summary: "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place." Holiday-based story of future Peddie, with included Ben/Piper. Rated T for possible mentions of adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Ball Drop**

_A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other._

**December 31, 2017**

"Eddie! You've been in there for 30 minutes! It's _my_ turn," Patricia yelled through the closed bathroom door at her boyfriend of 5 years. Her thick accent echoed in their new apartment. They had moved to New York, not far from where Eddie's mom lives, over a month ago, but there were still a few boxes scattered here and there.

Eddie opened the door slightly, just enough so he could poke his head out. "It might be like 20 more minutes," he said in a teasing tone.

"Tough luck," Patricia scoffed as she shoved the door open all the way, only to reveal a dripping wet Eddie, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You know, we could ditch this party and do something better..." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

Patricia rolled her eyes, "As tempting as that sounds, No. Amber invited us, so we have to go," she explained for probably the fiftieth time.

Eddie sighed, but didn't move from his spot.

"Well? Go get dressed!"

Instead, Eddie let a smile spread across his face, and Patricia knew something was about to go down.

"I think you need a hug, Yacker." He said quickly stepping forward and throwing his arms around her.

"Ew Gross!" Patricia yelled, trying to push him off, but failing, as she felt the water seep into her once-dry clothes.

"Doesn't that feel good?" He teased, finally stepping back.

"Absolutely _not_," she spat.

"Guess you have to take your clothes off now," he joked with a shrug.

She just scoffed before finally shoving him out the door and getting in the shower herself.

* * *

"Remind me one more time why we are here?" Eddie grumbled once again as they walked down the hallway in Amber's apartment building.

"You know exactly why! Amber's having her usual New Year's Eve party and everyone's in town for it this year," Patricia reminded him.

Usually the roles were switched, and she was the one complaining about going to parties. But today, she was actually excited to see her Anubis friends again, and Eddie, well she didn't really know what his problem was.

"What's the big deal anyway?"

"I'd rather spend time with just you," he whined throwing his arm around her shoulder.

Not that it was a lie, but he really just didn't want to see Ben again. Yes, they had made amends years ago when he left the school, but Eddie had mostly done that for Patricia. He had needed to show her he wasn't a complete jerk, even though it backfired because she ended up thinking he _cheated_ on her.

Well, that and Eddie just couldn't bring himself to not feel jealous around the guy. He was always faster, smarter, and basically any other adjective you could think of.

"Ah come on! We're going to see all our old friends again, _and_ watch the ball drop from Amber's terrace. Even _I_ can't beat that Krueger."

* * *

"Patricia! Eddie!" Amber squealed as she engulfed the two in a group hug. "I can see your still going strong!"

"I can see you're still the same old Millington," Eddie chuckled when she finally let them go.

"Well we have a few hours until the ball drop, which we can watch from outside," she said gesturing towards the back door, "and most everybody else is already here! In fact, I think Ben and Piper just went that wa-"

"We can find them," Eddie interjected pulling Patricia away quickly. The last thing he wanted to do was hear about Ben.

For a second, the thought crossed his mind that maybe he was just being bitter, but it quickly went away when he continued to dodge the light brown head of hair he could see in the distance.

* * *

"You hungry Yacker?" Eddie asked after finally catching up with just about everyone, and meeting some new people among the hundreds at the party.

"Actually, yeah," She admitted as they made their way over to the food table.

"So, who have we not seen yet?" She brainstormed aloud between bites.

"Um... I think we've seeneveryone," Eddie said, internally hoping she wouldn't remember Ben and Piper, even though he was sure she would. Piper was her _twin_ for heaven's sake.

"Oh wait what about Ben and Piper? I think we should at least say 'Hi.' Where do you think they are?" She asked looking around.

"I don't know they aren't really night owls, they probably went home..."

"Eddie, you and I both know they didn't go home. What's going on with you?"

Eddie sighed and rubbed his face. He felt bed that he was in such a bad mood when she was so happy being reconnected with everyone.

"Nothing I just um, have a headache. We can find them after I finish my wings." He finally said, giving her a reassuring smile before making a mess out of his food.

Patricia nodded hesitantly and decided to let his odd behavior go. She knew Piper would throw a fit if they didn't find them soon.

* * *

"Where _are_ they?" Piper whined. She hadn't seen Patricia in months, and now she was having to wait even longer, seeing as her and Eddie were nowhere to be found. "Doesn't she _wan_t to see me?!"

"Of course she does," Ben reassured kissing her temple, hoping she would stop pouting soon. "They'll come around soon, don't worry."

"I just want to tell them the news!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I mean I always listen to her an-"

"Hey guys!" An all too familiar accent said from behind.

"Trix!" Piper exclaimed turning around and hugging her. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Patricia admitted, hugging back and laughing at Piper's usual affection.

Even Eddie couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face at the sight. He mentally punished himself for being so selfish and practically running from Piper and Ben. It wasn't fair to _her_.

"Hey Milly," Ben finally broke the silence between the two while Patricia and Piper quickly caught up.

"Hey, Ben. How've ya been?" Eddie said reaching out to shake his hand.

"Good. You too yeah?"

Eddie simply nodded as Patricia returned to his side, and Piper to Ben's. He immediately wrapped his around around her waist, and to his surprise, she didn't pull away.

"You guys," Piper started excitedly, "we have big news!"

"Yes..?" Patricia asked.

Eddie, on the other hand, knew what was coming, and his thoughts were confirmed when Piper stuck her hand out to show off the new ring on her finger.

"We're getting married!" She exclaimed, while Ben nodded and beamed down at his soon-to-be wife.

"Piper that's great!" Patricia said hugging her once again. "Congrats you two!"

Eddie nodded but quickly excused himself to 'go to the bathroom.' He was actually full of _jealousy_. He couldn't help it, he was just raging on the inside.

Ben had beaten him to something once again. Eddie had known he was going to marry Patricia for a while now, but every time he tried to bring it up she would just change the subject. 5 years together and she didn't want to marry him? It didn't make sense.

He was so worked up he didn't realize he crashed right into Fabian, spilling the plates he was carrying.

"Fabian I'm so sorry!" Eddie sputtered while helping him clean the mess up from the floor.

"It's ok, I'll just get some more. Amber's got _plenty_," He said with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Fabian asked, noticing how distressed Eddie looked.

"Yeah... I'm fine," Eddie said forcing a smile and turning to leave, but Fabian stopped him.

"Let's go outside and you can tell me, yeah?" Eddie nodded. Fabian was always sort of like a brother to him.

When they reached a quiet spot on the terrace, Fabian listened to Eddie's dilemma, and quickly tried to ponder it all.

"Eddie she definitely wants to marry you, and Ben and Piper's relationship should have nothing to do with yours alright? The right time will come for you guys too. Now it's almost time for the ball drop, so I gotta run, but don't think about it too much ok?"

Eddie slowly nodded as Fabian gave him one last pat on the back and took off. He was definitely right, Eddie was probably overreacting, and he needed to get over it.

* * *

Patricia stood on the edge of the terrace, leaning on the railing and looking out on Time Square. Even she had to admit it was a beautiful sight, but she was wishing Eddie was next to her. She didn't even have a clue as to where he ran off to.

On the screen down below, the clock began to countdown from a minute, and all the respective couples scooted close together, ready to kiss when the clock hit zero.

Patricia couldn't stand the sight, but _maybe _she could if Eddie was doing the same to her.

But he wasn't, and Patricia was starting to get mad. First, Ben and Piper announce their marriage, and then he just disappears. He hadn't done something like this in years, and it brought her thoughts back to senior year at Anubis, when he was acting suspicious all the time.

She tuned back in to the countdown as it was getting close to the new year.

"5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The phrase chorused from everyone around her, and she huffed as she still stood alone amongst a bunch of couples.

"There you are!" She heard someone say. She turned around to see a smiling Eddie. "I was looking everywhere for you!"

"You were looking for me? You're the one who ran off," she spat turning back around.

Eddie sighed, She was right. "I know Patricia and I'm so sorry. I just... I just had something to take care of..."

"Sounds awfully _suspicious_, if you ask me."

He sighed once again, trying to find the right words to say. "Look, I don't want to start the new year off fighting okay? Just... Please forgive me?"

She looked up at his pleading face, and couldn't help but crack a smile. "Fine, but only this once. Consider yourself lucky, Krueger."

Eddie felt relief wash through him, as he wrapped his arms around her and they looked out over the city.

"Although, I am surprised you missed your opportunity to kiss me at the beginning of the year, considering you wanted to _so badly_ before we came here," she teased, looking up at him.

"Well we could do it now..." Eddie suggested, with his signature smirk.

"Nope, the moment's ruined," she smirked back, returning her attention on looking back out over the railing.

Eddie chuckled. "New year, same old Patricia. So, Yacker, got any new year's resolutions?"

"Yeah... but I'm not telling."

"What why not?!" Eddie said, pretending to sound hurt.

"Because nobody needs to know but **me**," she stated simply. "What about you?"

Eddie looked down at her left hand, fourth finger to be exact, and smiled. "I sure do, but I'm not telling either. You'll find out eventually."

* * *

**Hey guys! Welcome to ****_Through the Course of a Year,_**** my new 12-chapter story, that's holiday-based! I hope you liked that first chapter, and make sure you review even if you didn't! I need to know what you guys think. Next Chapter will take place on Valentine's Day.**

**And shout out to MusicalWheaten, TrixieKrueger, and others who started Ben/Piper pairing. It's wonderful :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Flame Game**

_Love is a game that two can play and both can win._

**February 14, 2018**

Patricia slammed her hand down hard on the snooze button to get the alarm to shut up.

_**7:15**_

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes once again, and she was so close to falling back asleep too, but the alarm sounded again.

"What a great way to start the day," She mumbled to her self, finally accepting the fact that she was going to have to get up.

Patricia tried to leave the bed, but then she noticed Eddie's arm wrapped protectively around her waist. It never seized to be there.

She rolled her eyes as she quickly turned to face him. "Wake _up_ Weasel," she said, trying to shake his grip.

Eddie's eyes slowly opened, but then quickly closed again. "Ten more minutes."

"Well could you at least let go of me?" She demanded.

He silently turned the other way, stuffing his face into the pillow, and freeing Patricia.

She got up and made her way over to the closet, grabbing some work clothes and heading for the shower.

Once she felt fully awake, Patricia could barely contain her excitement, because today was _Valentine's Day._

But Valentine's Day wasn't so ordinary for Eddie and Patricia. Ever since they started dating, it was known that neither were a big fan of huge romantic gestures, which was what Valentine's Day was all about. So, of course, the two came up with a little _game_ they could play on this specific day. It was simple: go all-out with the biggest romantic gestures you can think of, to annoy the other. It was Patricia's idea, and she was quite good at it. Eddie wasn't so bad either.

The only problem was that every year, a winner was never **clearly** decided. The day would always end in a heated make-out, and I'm sure you can guess where it went after _that_.

But this year, Patricia was determined to win. Especially as she saw the delivery confirmation email on her phone. Eddie for sure had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

"Eddie, you're going to be late for work!" Patricia called from kitchen, where she was making her coffee.

"I'm ready! Geez Yacker, cut me some slack. I'm not _always_ late."

Patricia choked back a laugh and set a cup of coffee in front of him, before searching for her keys.

"And what did I do to deserve a cup of coffee from my wonderful girlfriend?" He said oh-so sarcastically.

"I figured I should do one _nice _thing for you on Valentine's Day," she admitted, before heading for the door.

"Wait!" Eddie called walking over to her, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

She turned around to give him a quick kiss, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, for one filled with much more passion.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he smirked, when she was able to pull away. Patricia rolled her eyes playfully, and began to walk down the hall.

"Hope you enjoy your gift!" She called over her shoulder.

"Wait, what gift?!" Eddie yelled back, but it was too late. She was already around the corner.

* * *

"And she expects me to plan dinner in _advance_! It's just one day of the year, and it's not different from any if the others!" Eddie laughed as his coworker, Patrick, ranted about his Valentine's Day dilemma at lunch.

"What are you laughing about Eddie? I'm sure you're in the same boat as us," his other coworker, Henry, pointed out.

"_Actually_," Eddie started, "Patricia is not like that at all. We both don't really like Valentine's Day, so we don't do anything special, simple as that."

"You're so lucky," Patrick said while sighing, as there was a knock on the door to Eddie's office.

"Delivery for Mr. Miller," the delivery guy stated, handing the clipboard to him.

"But I didn't order anything..." He mumbled as he signed his name. It wasn't until the delivery guy moved that he saw about 50 heart balloons, red _and_ pink, along with a giant teddy bear and king size Hershey bar.

"Uh I think you might have the wrong Mr. Miller?" Eddie suggested, seeing as there was no way somebody would send him _this._

"No, I don't think so. It's from a Patricia, here's the card." With that said, the guy went on his way, leaving Eddie to deal with all the gifts himself.

"But why would she- _oh_," Eddie mumbled as he soon came to realization. Their Valentine's Day game, he couldn't believe he had forgotten all about it, and now she was going to win!

"And you said she wasn't into Valentines Day?" Henry laughed as the two of them made their way out the door, back to their own offices.

Eddie opened up the card:

**I love your smile, your face, and your eyes,**  
**Damn, I'm good at telling lies!**

Eddie laughed to himself, as he rushed out the door to go find a rebuttal present quickly, "Well played Yacker, well played."

* * *

Patricia walked through the halls after her meeting, receiving numerous stares, wolf-whistles, from people in the office she didn't even know. She racked her brain for any reason people would be paying more attention to her than usual, but she couldn't think of any.

She continued to her desk to find a dozen roses and a box of chocolates with a card sitting next to it. There was a picture of a bed with the words "_Wish you were here_" written across the top.

Patricia instantly felt her cheeks heat up. Eddie had left that card on her desk and everyone _saw_ it.

**Great.**

She quickly grabbed the card and ripped it up before throwing it into the trashcan.

* * *

Eddie was flipping pancakes when he heard Patricia walk through the door. He ran to greet her. "Hey Yacker," he said smirking.

"Ugh, I am _not_ talking to you," she said pushing past him.

"And why is that?"

"You know why," she said plainly as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Come on Yacker it was funny!" He defended.

"Not when the whole _office_ sees it!" Eddie had to stifle a laugh at this. He didn't realize it was that bad.

"Well I made you pancakes for dinner, your favorite!" He said trying to cheer her up.

"I think you mean _your _favorite?" she said back raising an eyebrow.

He laughed, but that quickly came to a stop when they both heard the fire alarm start to sound. Eddie turned around to see his pancakes on fire.

"**Where's the fire extinguisher?!**" Patricia screamed as Eddie searched violently through their many kitchen cabinets, finally finding it.

"**How do you work it?!**" Eddie shouted back.

Patricia grabbed the fire extinguisher from him and put the fire out, but she lost control of the nozzle, and soon the foam was all over the kitchen.  
The second the two made eye contact, they both burst out laughing.

"It's all over you!" Patricia said between laughs.

Eddie's smile widened at the sound of her laugh. It was simply contagious.

"You should take a look at yourself!" He laughed walking closer to her.

"Well what do we do now? You ruined the food," she teased.

"We could always finish what we started earlier," Eddie suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

Before she even had time to think his lips were on hers, moving perfectly in sync, as always. He began to unbutton her blouse, but she pulled away, causing Eddie to raise an eyebrow.

"You have to admit that_ I_ won our little game first," she smirked, knowing she had him stuck.

Eddie mumbled a couple curse words under his breath, but somewhere in there Patricia heard a "Fine," so she took the opportunity to bring her lips to his once again, the thoughts of dinner or the foam that covered their bodies completely forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

**Green with Envy**

_May your pockets be heavy, and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night._

**March 17, 2018**

"Ow!" Eddie exclaimed as he jolted awake. He looked next to the guestroom bed to see Patricia. They were currently in England, staying with Mr. Sweet to see him and the rest of their friends as well. He liked to alternate which birthdays he was with his mom and which he was with his dad.

"Morning Weasel, Happy Birthday!" She smirked, handing him a small envelope and sitting down on the bed next to him.

"And _why_ exactly did you start off my birthday by pinching me?" Eddie teased.

She rolled her eyes, "It's the same question every year, doofus. You're birthday happens to fall on St. Patrick's Day, and as usual, you didn't sleep in any green."

"Actually, I'm not wearing anything," He said wiggling his eyebrows, as Patricia scoffed.

"Whatever, just open your gift."

Eddie carefully opened the envelope, a little too carefully at first, to annoy her of course. Inside, he found a regular old card, as well as a print out of a "Skydive Long Island" advertisement.

"We're going skydiving?!" Eddie asked excitedly.

"Yep, the appointment's in a few weeks. It's a bit if a drive from home, but I know how you said you've always wanted to go skydiving so..."

Eddie cut her off with a kiss. "Thanks, Yacker, I love it."

She smiled and got up. "Now go get dressed, we have a lot to do today."

They ate breakfast at Eddie's favorite pancake place, which of course was serving green pancakes, and they planned out the rest of the day. Patricia wanted to make sure they did everything he wanted to, but he just insisted that they hang out, nothing special.

Usually, he would party it up with his friends the night of his birthday, but this year it happened to be on a Sunday, so they had gone out the previous night. Tonight, they were going to his dad's house, to be accompanied by Ben and Piper, for a birthday dinner cooked by Mr. Sweet himself. Eddie didn't quite know _why_ Ben was always invited to this sort of thing, he had figured it was mostly because of Piper and Patricia.

But what he would find out later would certainly change _that_ theory.

* * *

"Got the list?" Patricia asked, and Eddie pulled it out of his pocket to show her. They had just arrived at the grocery store to get stuff for dinner tonight.

"Read it off to me," Patricia ordered as she went to get a shopping cart. Eddie did as he was told, but he stopped Patricia from continuing down the aisle to hop in the main part of the cart.

"_What_ are you doing?"

"It's my birthday, just push me," he teased, acting like a brat and snapping his fingers at her.

She just rolled her eyes, typical Eddie. "It's _really_ hard to believe you're 23," she mumbled as she began to push him down the aisles.

After they had gotten all the items Mr. Sweet needed, Patricia finally had to stop pushing him. "Okay, you're way too heavy for this," she admitted.

"Calling me fat _again_ Yacker? You know it's just muscle," he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

Nevertheless, he got out of the cart, but only on one condition:  
"Your turn."

"No way," Patricia laughed. "You actually think I'm going to be as childish as you?"

"Well since I'm the birthday b- _king_, you have to do as I say." When Patricia didn't comply, however, Eddie practically threw her in there and took off running down the aisle, pushing a scowling Patricia in the cart. The stares from the customers were uncountable, but they were actually having fun, until Eddie crashed into the tower of soda bottles.

They definitely had everyone's attention now, not that they didn't before, including the manager's. He didn't even have to say anything, he just glared at them, and Eddie quickly ran to purchase the groceries before following Patricia out the door.

"Nice going doofus."

"We just got kicked out of the grocery store," he smirked before throwing his arm around her shoulder, "Personally I think it's pretty funny."

She rolled her eyes once again, "Just don't do anything stupid tonight, yeah?"

"I'll try," he teased as they hopped in the car, heading back to Mr. Sweet's house.

* * *

"Thank you, thank you!" Mr. Sweet exclaimed, a little too excitedly, as Ben and Piper arrived handing him the cake they had made, for him to hide it in the refrigerator.

"I'm almost done cooking, so you two go find Eddie and Patricia! They should be in the living room!"

So they made their way towards the living room, hand in hand, to find the two sitting as close as they possibly could, laughing at something on Eddie's laptop.

"Happy Birthday Eddie," Piper shouted when Ben yelled, "Happy Birthday Milly," at the same time.

"Hey! Thanks guys!" Eddie said getting up and hugging them both. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," Piper said, sitting next to Patricia. "_Soooo_, what did you two do today?"

"Well I _tried_ to do something special, but Slimeball here didn't want to," Patricia explained a bit sarcastically.

"_Oh sue me_," Eddie teased as he plopped down on a separate chair.

"Well I'm going to go help d- Sweetie set the table." Ben said mysteriously as he backed out of the room.

"Did anyone else find that odd?" Eddie asked, but the twins just shook their head. Ben being mysterious? Seemed normal.

* * *

The table roared with laughter as Eddie told them about their experience at the grocery store earlier.

"That is just marvelous!" Mr. Sweet laughed, and Eddie sent a smirk to Patricia across the table, openly enjoying the attention from his dad.

"It wasn't that funny if you were the one _on_ the ride," Patricia pointed out, sending a smirk back at Eddie, to which he just rolled his eyes playfully.

"Hey Milly, remember that one time we raced through the store back home, and you knocked over the principal?!" Ben teased, remembering their times as little kids.

"Yes, that was quite the crash!" Eddie laughed.

"Weasel's always been clumsy then yeah?" Patricia asked, and Eddie nodded sheepishly, causing Ben to laugh.

"Oh most definitely," Mr. Sweet added. "Eddie was the clumsy one, Ben was the stable one."

Eddie froze. How would _his_ dad know what Ben was like as a child? Patricia and Piper looked at each other in confusion, and then Patricia to Eddie, and Piper to Ben.

"Um, Dad, how do you know that?" He asked carefully, and Patricia and Piper noticed Ben sink down a little in his chair.

"Know what?" Mr. Sweet asked, oblivious to his earlier mistake.

"What Ben was like as a child..."

His eyes widened as he came to realization on what he'd said. He took a moment, deciding if he was going to lie, or tell the truth, but he figured he had lied to him enough. "Edison, there's no easy way to say this, but you two are, um... well... half-brothers."

"What?!" Eddie shouted as Patricia and Piper's eyes practically came out of their head.

"Surprise," Ben mumbled weakly, trying, yet failing, to lighten the mood.

Eddie spun around to face Ben, _"You knew?!"_ He spat, watching Ben avert his eyes under Eddie's stare.

"Oh my God," Eddie whispered as everything from his past finally clicked together. His dad had left all those years ago for _Ben._ Eddie had been _played_ this whole time, by both of them.

He quickly hopped out of his chair and fled upstairs, and the door slam could be heard throughout the whole house.

The other four sat there in silence, until Patricia figured she should go see him. "I'm just gonna go, uh... yeah," she said quickly before following in his steps.

She opened the guest room door just a tad, so she could see where he was. He was laying down, but was propped up by the many pillows on the bed, one if which he was holding tightly in his lap. His stare was straight ahead, and anyone could tell he was crying silently, trying his best to keep it in.

It hurt Patricia to see him like this, because it didn't happen often. He was usually this carefree guy with a smile plastered on his face.

"Aw, Eddie," she muttered before appearing at his side, arms wrapped around his torso, and he moved slightly only to let her slide underneath his arm. They sat like that for a few moments, Patricia not knowing what to say, until Eddie finally spoke up.

"They lied to me." He said quietly, and Patricia sighed. They _had_ lied to him, what could she possibly say to make him feel better?

"This whole time I thought he had left to protect me, he had really left for his other son, his _better_ son." Eddie continued.

"That's not true, there might be more to the stor-"

"How could there be more to the story?" He burst out, interrupting her, and she finally sat up to see his face. It was red with anger, and the tears had stopped falling. She just needed to get him to calm down.

"Eddie, I'm trying to help you," she said trying to stay calm herself, even though she didn't know what to say.

"Well it's not _fucking_ working," he snapped.

"Fine," she shot right back, getting up and walking out the door, but not before she heard Eddie grumble a "Good!" from his unchanging spot on the bed.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Eddie knew he shouldn't have snapped at her. He'd done it again, pushed away the only one who had for sure cared about him the whole time.

He was just so _sick_ of being lied to. He thought his dad was done lying to him after high school, but now it looks like there's more secrets to be found out.

He didn't even know what his next move should be, but he _did_ know that Patricia would. She knew him better than anyone.

He slumped over to the door thinking of the places she would've gone. Eddie would just have to find her without seeing anybody else, simple enough right? But, when he opened the door, there she was, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

Like he said before, Patricia knew him too well.

She _knew_ he didn't mean to snap, so she'd waited outside until he was ready for her to come back.

"I'm, uh, sorry I snapped at you..." He muttered, and she gave him a soft smile.

That's when the tears started to fall again. He pulled her into his arms and she ran her fingers through his hair as he cried into her shoulder.

He was rather embarrassed to be the one crying on _her_ shoulder, but all their teasing aside, he knew she would understand. She was a lot better at comforting him than she gave herself credit for.

"Eddie, everything's going to be okay," she said softly when his tears had slowed down.

"How do you know?" he choked out, once they sat back down on the bed.

"Just... just look at how far you've come, it's just another bump in the road, yeah?"

"I guess... I just thought he, you know, cared about me."

That completely broke her heart. She knew how he felt, she really did. Having to live behind the shadow of a superior sibling? It's how she grew up. Eddie had been doing it too, but he never even knew. His dad kept it a _secret_, and Patricia couldn't quite figure out which was worse.

"You know, he still does," she said quietly, "I mean it doesn't change _that_ much, does it?"

"Maybe not for you, but for me, it does. I just don't wanna face them yet..." he said pulling her closer, and she nodded.

"So... what do you want to do then?"

He shrugged in response.

"I have an idea," Patricia said smiling, "Be right back."

She quietly descended the stairs and snuck around the corner into the kitchen. She almost had two plates of dinner and dessert ready when Mr. Sweet entered the room.

"How is he?"

"Well, he doesn't want to come back down that's for sure. I was gonna bring him some food..." she explained, and Mr. Sweet silently nodded.

"You could've told him, you know," she pointed out, deciding to stand up for Eddie.

Mr. Sweet sighed, "I know and I should have." Patricia didn't say anything else, just putting the finishing touches on their plates, before strategically balancing them in her hands.

"Can you let him know I'm sorry?" He said softly. Patricia could tell by his face that he, in fact, _was _sorry, so who was she to say no?

"Sure," she said sending him a small smile and continuing on her way back to Eddie.

* * *

"Delivery," Patricia teased as she entered the room with the food, placing one plate on his lap. "I was thinking we could watch a movie?"

Eddie couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face when she sat down next to him. "You're the best," he said kissing her cheek. "And sorry for dragging you out here to see my dad, we're leaving tomorrow instead."

This caught her attention, "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to stay the whole week?"

"Not anymore..." he said glumly, and she understood what he meant now.

"He wanted me to tell you he's sorry," she said seriously, but Eddie just nodded. "And you're gonna have to talk to him eventually,"she pointed out, trying to get some kind of reaction from him, now that he had calmed down.

"I know, and I will, but not now," he whined. "Just come _here." _He pulled her back over to him, turned on "Nightmare on Elm Street," their favorite, and left the situation at that...

_For now._

* * *

**_Loving the feedback on this so far! You guys are the best!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hop To It**

_April is a promise that May is bound to keep._

**April 1, 2018**

Mrs. Lakeland rushed around the house, quickly throwing on some clothes. She had just received news that her husband had been sent to the hospital: He passed out from unknown causes.

She had _told_ him not to go golfing today, it was Easter for goodness sakes! That was strictly family time, and now she had to find somewhere for her daughter, Jenna, to go while she went to visit him at the hospital.

There was only one, well _two_, people she could think of that wouldn't be doing anything this Easter morning:

** Eddie and Patricia.**

* * *

_Knock Knock_

Patricia huffed as she got off the couch and slumped over to the door. Who would be knocking on her door this early on a Sunday? Don't they know people sleep in on the weekends?

She opened the door to reveal her neighbor from down the hall, Mrs. Lakeland, with a little girl she'd never seen before.

"Oh, Hi Mrs. Lakeland, do you need to borrow some eggs or something?" She asked, trying her best to be polite.

"Is Eddie here?" She said quickly, almost as if she was actually _scared_ of Patricia, most people in the building were. Just because she wasn't necessarily a morning person didn't mean people had to be so... terrified.

"Not at the moment... Why?"

"I need someone to look after Jenna."

Patricia almost laughed. Someone was asking _them_ to look after their child? It had to have been a joke, after all it _was_ April Fool's Day.

But when Mrs. Lakeland didn't crack a smile, or show any signs that she was kidding, Patricia freaked out.

She wasn't good with kids, they didn't like her, they were noisy and _gross_. She didn't even know how to talk with them, did they even listen to Sick Puppies? The list could've gone on forever.

"Um... Are you sure you don't want to borrow some butter or something like most neighbors?"

Mrs. Lakeland covered her daughters ears. "I really need your help. I'll even _pay_ you! I have to go see my husband in the hospital. Just... Please?"

Patricia looked at the woman in front of her, and then at the child next to her. She was really desperate, Patricia didn't want to do it, but she didn't want to say no either. Plus Eddie would be back from getting coffee soon, right? She wouldn't have to deal with her for that long.

"Fine, come on in."

Mrs. Lakeland bent down so she was face to face with her daughter. "Ms. Patricia is going to watch after you for a little bit okay? And she'll take you to that Easter Egg Hunt at the park."

Jenna nodded, hugged her mom and walked into Patricia's apartment.

"Thank you so much. Here's my number, I'll keep in touch." Mrs. Lakeland said before rushing off.

Patricia turned around to Jenna. "So... Do you like TV?"

She nodded.

"What do you like to watch?"

She seemed to ponder this question for a minute. "Dog with a Blog."

Patricia showed her to the couch and switched the channel to Disney, and luckily Dog with a Blog was on. Jenna immediately seemed to be mesmerized by the show, though she couldn't understand why. A dog that could talk and had a blog? Seems realistic.

She couldn't stand it any longer, so she decided to text Eddie.

**Can you hurry up Doofus? We have a visitor.**

* * *

Eddie had just entered their apartment building when he received the message from Patricia. A visitor? It couldn't be his dad, could it?

He hadn't spoken to him or Ben since his birthday a couple weeks ago. Patricia had been nagging him about it ever since, but he just didn't know what to say, and now his dad was possibly sitting in his apartment with her.

Eddie considered going back out, to anywhere else, but he knew Patricia would _kill_ him for leaving her in that situation. So he continued up to apartment 1250, and opened the door to see, fortunately not his dad, but Patricia in the kitchen, keeping a wary eye on a little girl who was on the couch.

"Yacker, I thought you weren't ready to have children," Eddie teased as he came inside, hanging up his leather jacket.

Patricia lightly smacked his arm, but then realized she could have a little fun with that comment. She hadn't thought of any April Fool's tricks yet, so this was perfect.

"Actually, I have something to tell you," she whispered, as seriously as she could manage. Eddie raised his eyebrows, urging her to continue.

"That girl, Jenna, _is_ mine." She whispered, pretending to sound heartbroken.

Eddie's eyes widened as he stared down at her, and then over at Jenna. How had this happened? Was it his too? Had she cheated on him? Was it before they met? But he thought he was her first? Questions circled around his head as he looked between the two.

Patricia's hair was dark, but Jenna's was darker. They both had the same eyes, and the rest if their facial features were _kind of_ similar.

He was about to bombard Patricia with questions when he noticed she was laughing.

"What's going on?!"

"Your face!" She breathed out, still laughing. "I really got you!"

"So... She's not yours?"

"No, doofus, April Fools!" She smirked.

Eddie rolled his eyes, "I was about to punch the wall or something. You'd better watch out Yacker," he warned.

"Yeah whatever," she said, obviously not concerned.

"So if she's not yours, then who's is she?"

"You know Mrs. Lakeland down the hall?" Eddie nodded. "It's her daughter, she had to run to the hospital where her husband is, and begged me to look after her."

"Wow she must've been desperate to ask _you_ to look after her," Eddie smirked.

"Which is why _you're_ looking after her now," Patricia stated before walking away to sit on the couch, and then grimacing when she noticed Dog with a Blog was still on.

Eddie rolled his eyes. Patricia seemed to have this idea that she was terrible with kids. He didn't know _where_ she got the idea, because it was a load of bullshit. Every time she was around a kid, her 'motherly-instinct' would kick in. It was kind of funny to watch, because she basically had no clue how well she did with kids.

He then plopped down next to her. "Hey Jenna, I'm Eddie!"

Jenna waved shyly. "Um... Uh... When are we gon-na go to the... the Easter Egg hunt?"

"Eddie can take you right now!" Patricia interjected.

Eddie laughed. "We will _both_ take you in a few minutes, okay?"

Patricia rolled her eyes, but Jenna nodded, as they all began to get ready.

* * *

"Faster, faster!" Jenna exclaimed from atop Eddie's shoulders. He sped up a bit, careful not to drop her though, as the park came into view.

"Looks like we are here!" He exclaimed, setting her down while she giggled. Patricia found herself smiling. He was _such_ a kid, which was probably why he was so good with them.

Patricia went and sat on a bench, from which the area that the egg hunt was taking place could be seen.

"You can go play, we'll be right over there okay?" Eddie asked Jenna, while pointed over to where Patricia had sat. She nodded and ran off, her silky black hair blowing in the wind.

"She's pretty cute isn't she?" Eddie said throwing his arm around Patricia.

"She's more work than she is cute," Patricia admitted.

Eddie chuckled. "Any word on her dad?"

She shook her head. "Speaking of dads, have you talked to yours?"

He groaned, "Do we have to do this now?"

"Eddie, he's your _dad_! You have to make up with him, and with Ben too."

"I know, okay? And I _will_, just not now. Why do you even care so much anyway?" He snapped.

"Oh so I'm not supposed to care?"

He sighed. "You know that's not what I meant. Just- never mind." He removed his arm from around her shoulder, and put both of his hands in his lap.

Patricia found herself frowning at the loss of contact. He was always usually holding her hand or _something_, so this must have really been bothering him.

She sighed, and let her head fall onto his shoulder. "Because I don't want you to be like me," she said softly.

"Huh?" Eddie said, looking back in her direction.

She huffed, annoyed she was going to have to say it again. "I _said_, because I don't want you to be like me. Did you get that?"

Eddie smiled. "Yes I got that," he shifted so his arm was slung back over her shoulder. "But what do you mean by it?"

"I mean, being... _jealous_ all the time, and not getting along with your parents. I grew up that way and it... it just doesn't get you anywhere Eddie." She paused for a moment, to see if he had anything to say, but he didn't. _She_ was the one who always had something to say anyway. "I just don't want you to end up like that..."

Eddie was kind of surprised that she opened in up to him in a public place, but he wasn't going to bring any attention to it. "I'd be _lucky_ if I ended up like you," he said kissing the top of her head, and reaching for her hand. "I'll talk to him soon, okay?"

She nodded and let her eyes close for a minute. They sat there in silence, and Eddie couldn't think of anything to do except play with her fingers.

The fourth one on her left hand kept grabbing his attention. It was just so _bare_, and he immediately remembered his New Year's resolution. He hadn't been doing a very good job of fulfilling it, it had already been four months! Although he usually never went through with these types of things, he was determined to make this one come true.

"Hey Yacker, can we talk about so-"

"Oh my God, where's Jenna?!" Patricia exclaimed sitting up quickly.

"_Shit_." Eddie mumbled as they both hopped up and ran in different directions, hoping one of them would find her.

* * *

"Any luck, Yacker?" Eddie said as her ran over to her.

"No, Eddie we're screwed!" She said throwing her hands in the hair.

"Calm down, we'll find her. She's probably," Eddie paused when he saw a familiar 5-year-old standing next to an Easter Bunny, "right over there."

They both ran over to her. "Jenna!" Patricia exclaimed, picking her up, causing Eddie to smile. "You can't just run off like that!"

"Sorry..." She muttered, looking down.

"It's alright, but let's get you home," Eddie said taking her from Patricia

They stopped and bought Jenna a cookie on the way, and made it back just before it begun to rain.

"When is my mommy gonna be home?" Jenna questioned.

"Uhhhh..." Patricia said trying to think of a good answer, "soon?"

"I want my mommy," Jenna pouted, tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't cry," Patricia mumbled as she picked her up and let her sit on her lap. Jenna nuzzled her face into Patricia's shoulder, and after a few minutes of Patricia rubbing her back, she fell asleep.

Eddie smiled when he re-entered the room. "Aww Yacker that's _adorable_," he teased.

"Shut _up_ Slimeball. Just because she likes me better doesn't mean you need to get upset," she smirked.

"Oh but I thought you weren't good with kids?"

Patricia opened her mouth to retort something sassy back at him, but she closed it when she didn't have anything to say.

He took the opportunity to sit down next to her. "You're actually really good with them you know that?" He whispered.

Patricia looked at the sleeping child on her shoulder, and then over at Eddie. "_Maybe_."

Eddie chuckled lightly and tried his best to savor the moment. He couldn't help but think that this was the way it should be. The two of them with a little one, it was perfect, except for the fact that they almost lost her. Well, there's always room for improvement.

He quickly got up when he heard a knock on the door, and opened it to reveal Mrs. Lakeland.

"Hello, Eddie. I'll just take Jenna from you two."

Patricia joined them at the door and handed Jenna over to her mom, but unfortunately she woke up.

"Mommy, where's daddy?"

"Honey, he'll be, um, away for a few days. He's just on a trip." Eddie sent his neighbor a sympathetic look.

"But... But I never got to see him before he left," Jenna said tearing up.

Mrs Lakeland figured it was probably a good time to get going. "Thank you for watching her, here's some money."

Patricia shook her head. "Keep it, really, it's fine."

She smiled back and them and then disappeared down the hall.

Patricia turned back to Eddie to see him looking upset.

"You okay?"

"Not really." Seeing Jenna cry over her Dad really got him thinking. He had the chance to talk to him right now, but she didn't. It wasn't fair.

He decided he was going to skype him, it wasn't too late yet where he lived. "Will you, uh, come with me?"

Patricia nodded and quickly pecked his lips. "I'm proud of you."

He smirked, got out his laptop and put it on his lap while he sat on the bed. Patricia decided to sit on the armchair in their room, she didn't want to be on the screen.

"Edison? What a wonderful surprise!" She heard Mr. Sweet exclaim.

"Yeah, I wanted to, uh, talk." Eddie said, a bit hesitantly.

"Of course!" She heard from the speakers, as well as a joke he uttered, trying to lighten the mood, but she couldn't make out exactly what it was.

Eddie sent her a smile from his spot on the bed, and she took this as a sign to quietly exit the room.

_ They were going to be just fine. _

* * *

**_Woo April's done! It was originally gonna be an Easter chapter, because there's so many April Fool's ones with these two, but then I went to find out when Easter was in 2018, and of course it was the 1st... So that's why there's was a little random April Fool's mentions. _**

**_Also, would you mind checking out a one-shot I posted called Waiting For Superman? I wanted to try something new and was wondering what you guys think..._**

**_Until next time!  
_**


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